WEM Staffer Promotes Youth Emergency Readiness Program Nationally
"This is a part of the job I am really passionate about," he said.
STEP is a
"I knew we needed to find something to reach kids," Pritchard explained. "We did several statewide research projects and we found that when we asked folks where they were getting their information about emergency preparedness, zero percent came out of schools. But when you look at the data around the country, school-age kids want this information -- they get into it, they understand it, and if it's presented in the right way at the right age group, it's very valuable ... it's not scary.
"You want to hit that sweet spot, which we feel is 5th grade," he continued. "We knew kids were the way to go, but that was not happening in
Pritchard's dedication to the STEP program and his work with neighboring states to help launch their own STEP programs recently brought him to
"We've become nationally recognized as the leader in youth preparedness in the country," Pritchard said. "We are successful on many different levels just in sheer numbers, the impact it's having on many lives here in
Pritchard coordinates with schools across the state to participate in the free program, and has averaged 12,000 student participants the past few years. More than 50,000 students have been part of the STEP program since 2010. STEP provides students with a starter emergency planning home kit, and teachers with a simple-to-use curriculum.
"The great thing about STEP that we embraced immediately was it was free, fast and fun," Pritchard said. "We needed something where I could send a box to schools, they crack it open and run with it, and that's exactly how STEP is designed."
The starter kits are the key to the entire program, Pritchard said. Students bring the kits home and begin a conversation with their families about what they need to do to be prepared for an emergency such as severe weather or a man-made disaster. When he explained the program to state representatives at the
"I think they realized the value of it in terms of the turnkey nature of it, in terms of how easy it is to deliver," Pritchard said.
That's not to say the STEP program runs itself. Building strong public-private partnerships -- local businesses that will help fund the program and provide volunteers to assemble the starter kits -- is a vital component, and Pritchard expressed his gratitude to the businesses that have partnered with
And Pritchard said the investment of time and money has already paid off. In April of 2015, STEP student
"We're in the middle of flooding and tornado season, and winter storms -- we're going to have these things happen to us, so it's not a question of if, but when and where," Pritchard said. "Making sure we get as many people ready for that as possible, that's critical."
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